


Good Company

by skeleton_girl



Category: HLVRAI - Fandom, Half Life VR But The AI Is Self Aware
Genre: Not A Game AU, Oh also, enjoy gordon care moments, mostly so THAT isnt the most recent fic yikes, no hurt just comfort, smth sweet i wrote a few weeks ago and finally decided to post
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-26
Updated: 2020-07-26
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:47:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,266
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25523854
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/skeleton_girl/pseuds/skeleton_girl
Summary: Gordon has a hard time sleeping after the events at Black Mesa, but he's always felt safer around Tommy.
Relationships: Bubby & Dr. Coomer (Half-Life), Tommy Coolatta & Gordon Freeman
Comments: 8
Kudos: 112





	Good Company

Gordon was exhausted.

He was currently laying on his back on what felt like the most comfortable bed in the world (even though it was just a mediocre hotel bed). His HEV suit had finally been removed, and he was dressed in a t-shirt and sweatpants. It was dark, but the faint glow of streetlights outside the window kept it from being pitch black, and the heater was emitting a steady hum of white noise. The perfect conditions for a good night's sleep.

Gordon was exhausted, but he still couldn't fucking fall asleep.

Logically, he knew he was safer now than he'd ever been in Black Mesa. But as he lay there in the dark, he couldn't help feeling isolated and paranoid. The Science Team had all been provided with individual rooms for the forseeable future, until they were finally able to go back to their homes. He wanted to believe that Black Mesa was finally done with them all, but the fact that they were still relying on the company that fucked them over worried him. Were they under surveillance right now? If he tried to leave, would they take that as an excuse to get rid of him for good?

He stared at the ceiling, listening to the heater humming as his mind kept coming up with new reasons to be anxious. It was too quiet, even with the heater turned on. He'd grown used to sleeping with the rest of the group, hearing Coomer's snoring, Bubby mumbling to himself in his sleep, and Tommy's steady, gentle breathing. Now, despite the fact that the Science Team drove him crazy at times, he couldn't stand to be alone. He lay there for a few more minutes before he made up his mind, sighing and kicking his legs off the side of the bed. After all the shit that he'd gone through in the last week, embarrassment was just something he wasn't worried about any more.

He grabbed his keycard from the side table and opened the door to his room, stepping out into the night air. It was cool, but not uncomfortably so, and he took a deep breath. The fresh air calmed him down a little bit, and he made a mental note to never take it for granted again. He was honestly amazed that he hadn't started kissing the ground the moment they all escaped Black Mesa.

He was broken out of his reverie when he noticed the sound of quiet murmuring a few doors down. He walked around the corner to see Bubby and Dr. Coomer standing by the railing, quietly conversing. Bubby was leaning against the railing, and Coomer stood next to him with a hand on his back. He was the first to notice Gordon, cutting himself off mid-sentence to give him a smile and a wave.

"Ah, Gordon! You're awake!" he said with his usual enthusiasm, but he kept his voice down. He waved Gordon over, and Gordon closed the gap between the three of them.

"Can't sleep either, huh?" Bubby asked. There was some sort of emotion behind his eyes that Gordon had never seen before, but it was hard to read.

"Yeah," he said, rubbing the back of his neck with his good hand. "Sorry if I'm, uh, interrupting."

"Of course not, you're always welcome in our conversations!" Dr. Coomer said. Bubby gave him a look that showed he obviously disagreed, and Coomer cleared his throat. "But perhaps this is a... a discussion for another time."

"Right," Gordon said. "I was actually uh, going to see if Tommy was awake. Have you guys seen him?"

"No, but we can hear that cheesy romcom of his on the TV," Bubby said. "These walls are paper thin."

"I think it's safe to say he's awake as well," Coomer concluded.

"Okay, I guess I'll just... knock?" Gordon said uncertainly.

"Unless you plan on telepathically asking him to open the door, I'd say that's your best option," Bubby said. Coomer gave him a small scowl, which Bubby rolled his eyes at in response.

"I'm sure he'd appreciate some company," Dr. Coomer said with a smile. Gordon gave him a small smile back, and made his way over to Tommy's room.

The sound of the TV could be heard through the door, although Gordon couldn't quite make out the words. He raised his right arm up to the door before realizing that it would probably be a bad idea to knock on it with his arm still barely healed, and knocked with his left hand instead. The sound of sheets being thrown to the side and approaching footsteps quickly followed, and the door swung upon. Concern laced Tommy's features for a second, before he smiled with relief.

"Oh, hello Mr. Freeman!" he said. Sunkist walked up behind him, sticking her head out the door and wagging her tail.

"Hey Tommy, hey Sunkist." Gordon leaned forward and gave Sunkist a scratch behind the ear, and she licked his cheek in return.

"Is it okay if I come in?" He asked.

"Of course!" Tommy said excitedly. "Sunkist and I were just watching _Invitation to Love_! It's a rerun, but- but it's still a pretty good episode."

Gordon followed him inside, making sure the door latched when he closed it behind them. The room was lit by a small bedside lamp and the TV, giving the room a nice, calming glow. He offhandedly noticed that the captions were turned on. Tommy sat down at the end of the bed, Sunkist jumping up behind him. He patted the sheets next to him, and Gordon took a seat.

"Did you wanna talk about something Mr. Freeman?" he asked.

"Not really," Gordon said, giving Sunkist another pat when she bumped her head against him. "Just, didn't want to be alone, you know?"

"I understand," Tommy said. "We went through a lot- a lot of shit." Gordon laughed. He knew Tommy was an older than him, but it was always surprising when he swore.

"Yeah, we sure did," he said.

"And not everyone has- has the best dog ever to keep them company." Tommy pet Sunkist's cheek as he spoke, and she gave him a slobbery kiss across the side of his face.

"Aw Sunkist, gross!" Tommy laughed, and whatever adrenaline and anxiety that was keeping Gordon awake finally seeped away.

"Hey, Tommy?" he asked, yawning as he spoke.

"Yeah?"

"Do you... do you mind if I sleep here tonight?" Tommy's face lit up.

"Of course not! I love sl- sleepovers! Sunkist will prob- ably lay on you though."

"That's fine," Gordon said. His face hurt, and he wasn't sure if it was just from smiling at Tommy's excitement, if it was from exhaustion, or both. "I love dogs."

"Do you want me to- to turn down the TV?" Tommy asked as he pulled the covers back, allowing Gordon to climb under them.

"No, it's perfect actually," Gordon said. "Thanks Tommy."

"Of course M- Mr. Freeman! Sleep well!" He pulled the covers up over him, tucking him in, and Gordon realized he actually felt... safe. Times like these where Tommy looked after him vaguely reminded him that he was actually the youngest member of the Science Team.

"G'night, Tommy," he mumbled into the pillow.

"Good night, Gordon."

Sunkist settled down next to him, giving him one last kiss on the cheek before setting her head on his chest. As he drifted off to sleep, listening to the sounds of the TV and Tommy's hushed reactions, he had one last thought:

_Bubby was right, this TV show really is cheesy._


End file.
